Bernard Auton FCILT will be the next Director General of The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport International.
Bernard is a high profile logistics consultant, and in recent years he has specialised in humanitarian emergency relief logistics - forming the Institute's Humanitarian Emergency Logistics Professionals Forum (HELP) and working with a number of agencies including Red Cross, Save the Children, Transaid, RedR and United Nations.
He will take over the role from long-serving CILT International DG Cyril Bleasdale OBE FCILT - the former British Rail InterCity Director who became International Institute's Director General in 1999.
CILT International's President, Richard Hunt CBE FCILT says: 'We are delighted that someone of Bernard's international reputation has accepted this role. His experience working in Africa, the US, China and across Europe will be invaluable.'
Bernard says: 'It is a privilege to have been chosen for this role. CILT International has over 33,000 members in over 30 countries worldwide. There are exciting times ahead for the Institute, which is ideally placed to help passenger transport and logistics operations across the world survive the effects of the global credit crunch; and to further develop its important work in improving vital transport links in developing countries.'
'We would like to double the number of CILT sections in different countries over the next 12 months. Logisticians and transport professionals want to share their ideas, contribute to their community's success and gain additional knowledge. Being an active member of a professional body allows them to do all of those and more'
'Transport and logistics are key to an efficient economy so the CILT is an ideal partner to help governments and other organisations address the international challenges of urbanisation, globalisation and climate change'
Bernard was brought up in Africa attending schools in Zambia and Botswana. He came to the UK and served in the Army while studying Economics in Leicester. He has also studied logistics in the UK at Cranfield and in the US at Georgia Tech. in Atlanta.
He left academia for industry in 1987 and joined Caterpillar. After various roles with Caterpillar in Europe and North America he returned to the UK working for Finning (UK) Ltd, as General Manager Materials Handling.
In 1999 he joined Unipart Logistics as Business Development and Marketing Manager. In 2003 he moved to Inova, a Swiss supply chain consultancy. In 2007 he started his own consultancy business- a,b;c. and has spent considerable time working in China.
Bernard has been closely involved with CILT International and its UK council CILT(UK). He became the UK's overall Faculty Chairman in 2002 and served on the UK Council and Board from 2002 to earlier this year.